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Vote to save our democracy from clutches of oligarchy

I was encouraged reading the newspaper about voter turnout in the primaries. About one out of three registered voters cast a ballot. In November we need to get the rest of them out, too.

I have been reading some very disturbing things about the mega-wealthy who have been strongly influenced by an economist, James Buchanan.

Buchanan espoused that only property owners should have the right to vote. This idea goes even further, with only those with lots of property having the right.

This is oligarchy, and it goes back to the ancient Greeks.

Oligarchy is the operating system in Russia now. Unless you are among the wealthiest, you have no value as a person; you have no voice and no vote.

There are efforts all over our country to suppress voting rights. Gerrymandering and purging of voter registries are among the ways. This is not a Republican-Democrat issue. It is about the greed of the super-wealthy to try and take everything they can.

Congress changed the tax code this year to benefit the super-wealthy on the backs of the rest of us, with more changes on the way.

The taxes that we all pay should go to public education for all, health care and maintenance of our roads, drinking water systems and protection of the environment.

Now there is a push in Washington to cut Social Security and Medicare, services that we all paid for, to fund increased military spending.

The one thing that we can still do to stop this is to vote. Vote for the candidates who will protect our democracy. The price of democracy is constant vigilance.